DefenceTalkThe F-35 still has a long way to go before it will be ready for combat. That was the parting message of Dr. Michael Gilmore, the now-retired Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, in his last annual report. The Joint Strike Fighter Program has already consumed more than $100 billion and nearly 25 years. Just […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35-joint-strike-fighter-program-continues-to-stumble-69627/

DefenceTalkThe US Marine Corps said Tuesday it has sent a squadron of F-35B fighter jets to Japan, marking the first operational overseas deployment for the controversial aircraft that is under scrutiny from President-elect Donald Trump. The deployment of the 10 planes to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on Honshu Island marks a major milestone for […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-marines-send-f-35-stealth-fighter-squadron-to-japan-68788/

DefenceTalkA new squadron of 19 F-35 jets will be incorporated into the Israeli Air Force beginning in 2019 after the decision to purchase another set of planes was confirmed by the IAF and government officials. These newly engineered fighters are a step up compared to the F-16I, especially with the addition of new state-of-the-art stealth […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-f-35-fighters-to-join-israeli-air-force-in-2019-61285/

DefenceTalkThe Pentagon will buy another 43 F-35 fighter jets worth roughly $4 billion from aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, officials said Tuesday, four months after it was briefly grounded following an engine fire. Although final details have to be worked out, the “handshake agreement” will mean the price of each plane will drop slightly within America’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-agrees-deal-to-buy-43-more-f-35-fighters-pentagon-60894/

DefenceTalkShe didn’t have a smudge on her. Not a leak found anywhere. She even had that “new jet smell.” Skies were blue, everything was perfect. Those were the conditions on that July day in 2011 when Lt. Col. Eric Smith took off from the Lockheed facilities at Fort Worth, Texas, in the first operational F-35 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35-new-fighter-creates-new-culture-for-21st-century-and-beyond-49176/

DefenceTalkLockheed Martin recently delivered the 100thElectro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) for the F-35 Lightning II. EOTS provides affordable, high performance multifunction targeting to the F-35’s full spectrum of military operations. EOTS is the first sensor that combines forward-looking infrared and infrared search and track functionality to provide F-35 pilots with situational awareness and air-to-air and air-to-surface […]https://www.defencetalk.com/lockheed-martin-delivers-100th-targeting-system-for-f-35-48462/

DefenceTalkIndications are that the F-35 joint strike fighter program — the most expensive aviation program in Defense Department history — is on track, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics told a Senate panel here June 19. Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee this morning, Frank Kendall said the F-35 will […]https://www.defencetalk.com/joint-strike-fighter-on-track-costs-coming-down-kendall-says-48171/

DefenceTalkThe F-35 Flight Test Update in the Volume 27, Number 3 issue of Code One concluded with the first aerial release of an AIM-120 AMRAAM on 19 October 2012. This tenth installment in the series of flight test updates on the F-35 program covers numerous other weapon releases as well as other achievements of the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35-flight-test-update-10-47757/

DefenceTalkThe Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress March 29 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Korea for 60 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $10.8 billion. The Government of the Republic of Korea […]https://www.defencetalk.com/south-korea-requests-f-35-joint-strike-fighter-aircraft-47352/

DefenceTalkThe F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program is a different program than it was four years ago, the F-35 program executive officer said here March 12. In a speech at the McAleese/Credit Suisse Defense Programs Conference at the Newseum, Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan told attendees that he and his predecessor, Navy Vice Adm. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35-production-on-track-program-chief-says-47148/